Help with childcare costs: 3 year old funding

Can I receive funding for my 3 year old?All children are able to claim 570 hours of free childcare every year, from the funding period after their third birthday. This is known as ‘The Free Entitlement’.

When are the funding periods?These run from:
1 September – 31 December
1 January – 31 March
1 April to 31 August.

How do I claim The Free Entitlement?
The Local Authority sends the relevant Parental Contract forms to us at nursery for each funding period. We then ask you to fill in a form and supply proof of your child’s name and postcode. The Local Authority send us the grant directly.

How much can I claim at Wellingborough Day Nursery?
Your entitlement is worked out in terms of “hours” rather than “pounds.”
A maximum of 11 hrs a week can be claimed over a minimum of 2 days a week.
A maximum of 10 hours can be claimed in one single day.

My child attends another setting. Can I claim The Free Entitlement at both settings?
Yes, but only up to the maximums allowed above. You must complete a Parental Contract form for each provider and you must declare you’re claiming hours elsewhere. Failure to do this could be deemed fraud.

My child also attends a preschool which only opens in term-time. Will this cause a problem as the nursery opens 51 weeks of the year?
This will mean changing the way you claim at our nursery to cover a 38 week period but it is still possible to do both. Please let us know if you intend to do this as it alters the way we calculate your invoice.

My friend’s child is entitled to 15 hours a week and yet I can only claim 11 hours. Why is that?
Preschools and nursery schools can offer 15 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year as they close for school holidays. We open all year round and so our funding is “stretched” across 51 weeks.

Can I claim for hours that my child doesn’t attend?
You aren’t allowed to claim for hours from which your child is regularly absent. For instance, if your normal nursery session is from 8am to 6pm for one day a week, then you are entitled to claim 10 hours as “funded.” But if your child normally attends from 10am to 5pm, you will only be able to claim 7 hours. We are audited by the Local Authority to check who is on the premises at random times/dates.